Seven Deadly
by Shock Factor
Summary: In a Remnant ruled not by Ozpin's Council, but rather by the many corporations of the Four Kingdoms, a Schnee Dust Company Mining town suffers a hostile takeover from a rival company. The SDC hires Pyrrha Nikos,a temporary SDC 'contractor', to retake the town. Along the way, she makes allies from every stripe and walk of life. Main story of the 'Dog Eat Dog' Corporate!AU.
1. Just Business

(A RWBY AU INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN)

(PRESENTED BY SHOCK FACTOR)

Seven Deadly

Prologue

Just Business

 _Somewhere in Vale_

Sienna Braz was just a little girl, in a small family, in a tiny little Dust Mining town. Only 7, she was the daughter of a SDC worker and a stay-at-home mother who didn't care much for any affairs outside of their own.

The townspeople had gathered in the town hall to discuss the matter of a recent visitor to their fair domain. A man, clad in business attire, had come and made an offer. He represented the Varsis Company, who were performing experiments on Grimm using Dust in order to find ways to better defeat them, or better yet, tame them. All they needed, the man said, was the place to do it. They offered a pretty penny for the land this town was on, but there was no information as to where exactly the displaced would go.

Jesse Braz stood up and refused, and the rest of the town agreed with him. They wouldn't give up the land they fought Grimm, Nature, and Man to claim as their home and livelihood.

Surprisingly, the businessman took it well, all things considered, and said he'd be sending an agent in due time to see if they reconsidered. The town gave him a meal for the road, out of hospitality, but were quick to -politely- inform him that the town was not up for sale.

* * *

Then, two months later, came today.

Today seemed like a normal day in this sleepy town. The birds sang, the poppies danced, and the wind whistled through the trees. The sun cast a deep orange glow over the land, and all seemed well. No Grimm in sight, nothing amiss.

The watchman couldn't help but marvel at the wondrous show Nature had seen fit to give him. He let his weapon, a shotgun with a long, needle-type bayonet, rest on his lap, as the threat of the Grimm seemed further and further away.

"Hail!" someone shouted from below.

He blinked quickly, refocusing as he grabbed his weapon and looked over the parapet. Someone wanted in.

The men and women at the gate were all garbed in utilitarian clothes- fatigues, armor, light coverings, the like-, and carrying advanced weaponry. They were obviously hunters and huntresses, but the question was, what purpose drove them here?

"Good morning!" One of the hunters in the group greeted him, a man with jet-black hair, slicked back and trimmed at the sides, and deep blue eyes. He carried a pair of double-barreled weapons, which both hung loosely in holsters attached to his coat. "Is this the town of Reveille?"

"It would be," the watchman said. "What's your business, stranger?"

" Business is my business, my friend," the man replied. "I've come on behalf of the Varsis Company."

Oh, great. Didn't that businessman just come by last week?

"Sir, our position hasn't changed, we're not selling you the land," the watchman informed him.

"Are you the mayor, friend?"

"... No, sir."

"Then do not pretend to speak on their behalf. I assure you, I'm only here to try and negotiate some sort of agreement. Now, if you would kindly let me in, I'm famished. It's been a long trip from Mistral."

The watchman wasn't sure if he trusted this new presence. The businessman came with guards, but he was always the one who came. It seemed odd that, instead of him, they would send the equivalent of a hatchet man to come and try to 'negotiate an agreement' with the town. He didn't like it, no, not one bit. But, turning them away would likely bring more trouble on their heads than they already were in.

"Open the gates, we got visitors!"

The gates opened, and the motley crew in front of them strode in like conquerors, looking down their noses at the local populace while they looked around for the town hall. save for the man with the blue eyes. He was just hungry. He accosted a random citizen, who just so happened to be the young Sienna.

"Good morning, young lady!"

"Good morning, mister!" she replied to the stranger. She stuck out an eager hand, which brought a smile to Blue-Eyes' face. He took the small girl's hand, and shook it.

"Now, you seem like a knowledgeable woman," the man began, his tone easy and warm. "Would you happen to know where I can get something to eat? I've had a long trip, and I'm really hungry."

Sienna thought for a moment. The man seemed nice, for a stranger, and he wasn't being weird, so she guessed he was okay. He looked really awesome, so he must be a hunter, she reasoned, which made him, like, a superhero. Sienna loved superheroes, she read X-Ray and Vav comics all the time. She really would like to talk to a superhero- er, a hunter.

"You can come with me! Maybe Daddy will be okay with you having lunch with us!"

"Now, now, I don't mean to impose-"

"I'll go ask him!" With that, she bolted, headed straight for the gates. Her dad was on watch duty today, so he might have actually met the stranger. Her dad was coming down, already expecting trouble, when his daughter came careening into him.

"Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy!"

He couldn't help but smile at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, nugget, it's me. What's up?"

"A hunter came up to me and asked about getting food and I really want to meet a real hunter please please pleaaaaase can we let him come over with us I promise I'll never ask for anything ever again! Ever!"

Oh, wonderful. The watchman knew that these men and women had less than the best intentions in mind, just by looking at them, and now one of them had come up to his daughter and plied her into her usual bouts of hero worship. That was no feat, but it still concerned him that this was the case. However, he supposed that it would be best to treat them well- perhaps when he and the rest of the town council rejected their offer for the umpteenth time, they would be inclined to leave in good faith.

"I suppose so, nugget. Let's go."

"YAY!"

* * *

From what conversation the hunter had made, the watchman found out that his name was Guinness. He was from Mistral, currently contracted to Varsis as its Security Chief. He was a Beacon Academy graduate, and currently did negotiation and business management work when not on the hunt- as a matter of fact, he was the current majority shareholder at Varsis, making him, for all intents and purposes, the acting owner. Another thing he learned was that, evidently, the man's stomach was unappeasable, as he was currently on thirds.

"This food is delicious, sir. I appreciate your hospitality," Guinness looked across the table at the watchman as he picked up the last scraps of his meal.

"It's not a problem, Mr. Guinness," the watchman replied.

"I didn't catch your name."

"Jesse."

"Ah, Jesse. Very business-like name. What's your occupation, Jesse?"

Jesse guessed there was no harm in small talk. "I work as a project manager for the Schnee Dust Company."

"Huh. Interesting." Guinness jerked his head towards a window pointing over at the caves. "Those are your project?"

"Yes, the Dust mines are the biggest source of the town's income."

"Hm." Guinness took another mouthful of his meal, not even bothering to chew it before continuing his line of questioning. "We could pay you more for the land than Schnee ever would, and yet you stubbornly insist on sticking to it. Why?"

"I don't know about you, Mr. Guinness, but around these parts, we tend to prefer our family home stay our home. We don't take kindly to people stealin' it."

Guinness shot back up in his chair, face blanched, and mouth in a wide 'o'. "Oum and all of his angels, sir! I would never steal anything from anyone! That's just plain cruelty. I intend to reimburse you for the land, make no mistake." Say what you want about Madder Guinness, but he was a professional, and he would not have a blemish such as 'refusing to honor one's end of the deal so long as both parties remained willing' on his record.

"Your coin may be good, sir, but it's still highway robbery."

"That so?" Guinness sighed, rolling his eyes. "How is this town run, Jesse?"

"The mayor consults the council on major matters, and makes the final decision on them. I happen to sit on the council."

Guinness leaned over the table, a strange, nigh-unreadable look in his eye. His hands were planted firmly on the table, and the dim light of the house cast a shadow over his face. Then, he smiled.

"Jesse, would you be a good host, and see about calling a meeting for me?" the businessman asked. "I have an important matter that needs to be discussed."

Now, Jesse Braz was a man of integrity, if nothing else. He was very proud of his home, and he would fight to the death for it. However, the look this man across from him gave as he looked across the table at him promised that, should he refuse Guinness, something would happen to him that he wouldn't enjoy at all. Perhaps, now that he was full, Guinness would be more reasonable when faced with the forces of democracy.

"Give me a couple of minutes, Mr. Guinness."

"Excellent! I'll assemble the team to meet you at the town hall!" With that, the hunter got up from the table, acting as if his attempt at intimidation had never happened. "Thank you for the delicious meal, and I will be seeing you shortly. Don't be tardy, now!"

With that, the hunter/businessman walked out of the house through the same way he entered, whistling a tune as he threw open the door, not even bothering to close it. Sienna, dutiful child she was, immediately rushed to close it, before looking at Jesse for approval. The man smiled at his daughter, nodding his head. "Good girl."

Sienna skipped over to her father, looking up at him expectantly. "So, what did the nice man say?"

Jesse sighed, leaning back in his chair. "He wants the town to have a little meeting to talk to him about stuff. Nothing you need to worry about."

"But I'm a big girl!"

"You sure are, but not big enough to understand this. Look, I want you to stay home and wait until I come back. Don't come to the big house, don't leave our home, okay?"

Sienna looked confused, her big brown doe-eyes watering up slightly. "B-b-but..."

"No buts, or I won't let you have your play date with Millie tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes, sir..." the little girl muttered.

"Now, Daddy's gotta go take care of this, okay? Stay inside."

* * *

The town hall was abuzz with gossip at the sudden turn of events. Sure, the Varsis company had entered Reveille before, but never with a full complement of huntsmen and huntresses, and certainly not with the company's de facto boss. This was a worrying turn of events. The mayor intended to have a quick discussion on the matter before the Varsis reps arrived.

"Have we reached an agreement on what exactly the terms are?" the elderly man asks.

"We're saying 'no,'" a young woman said. "That's MY terms!"

"We ain't giving up our land. We built this building with our blood, sweat, and tears, and I'll be damned if I let it go to some Atlesian asshat businessman!" a younger council member interjected.

"What if they offer us more money this time?" one retorted. "We could just take the money and get a better place to live, farther from the Grimm!"

"And leave behind the land given to me by my blood as far back as we go? Like hell!""

Jesse sighed as the back and forth arguments continued. At this rate, no decision would be made- they'd sit here, twiddling their thumbs and stroking their peckers until the Varsis reps came in and raised all kinds of ruckus. And they wouldn't take a non-decisive answer. In Jesse's opinion, they needed to either take a stand, or just give up- there was no point in trying to delay the inevitable decision thrust upon them.

"Everyone, quiet!" The mayor shouted. stopping the proceedings. "All in favor of selling the town, raise one hand."

About eight men and two women raised their hand.

"All in favor of rejecting the offer?"

The rest of the townsfolk present, around fifty-something, raised their hands.

"Alright, then. It is settled. Where are the men from the Dust Compa-"

The doors to the hall swung open, as if on cue, and the Varsis hunters all entered the main chamber. Their faces were cool, unreadable, as if expecting at any moment for the whole affair to go keel-up. They all spread about the room, with one man in blue and steel grey armor standing at the doorway, eyes hidden behind red bangs. He had a large leaf-shaped sword and a broad, oblong shield of Mistralian origin. A mercenary, no doubt. Guinness walked with a defiant swagger to the center of the room, as if he not only owned the hall, or the town, but the entire Kingdom of Vale as well- hell, maybe Atlas and Mistral too! The crimson, sleeveless longcoat he wore trailed behind him like a cape, while his deep, crystalline blue eyes swiveled around the room, taking estimates as to who was who in this godforsaken town.

"Who's the mayor?" he asked, as a boyish fellow with blonde hair like fresh-cut grain and eyes the color of jade stood beside him.

"That would be me," the greying, aged man at the podium replied, straightening himself up to look as strong as possible. "Who are you?"

"Mister Mayor, my name is Madder S. G. Guinness, majority shareholder and CEO _pro-tempore_ of VDS- Varsis Dust Solutions. We understand that this here town is called Reveille, and is sponsored by the Schnee Dust Company, currently chaired by the young Weiss J. Schnee, is this correct?"

"It would be."

"Are you satisfied with the Schnee Dust Company, Mister Mayor?"

The mayor shook his head. "We need not be satisfied, we must simply make do."

"And that is the kind of attitude that contributes to the homeless and unemployed population increase, ladies and gentlemen! Unambitious louts who are afraid to rock the boat and take a damn stand!"

The crowd was riveted on him as he continued his spontaneous little speech. Jesse hated it, made the man look like a wannabe tyrant who would try and conquer the world with his words. Who knows, maybe that's his plan.

"The weak, the unskilled, the underachieving! They all settle for mediocrity and failure when they could have so much more! You could be rich! You could be famous! You could fuck a celebrity! You can do anything you wish, so long as you work for it, but you refuse to WORK for it," the Atlesian ranted, his blue eyes widened, teeth bared, and gesticulating wildly to emphasize his point. "Look at you all! Living next to the biggest deposit of Dust discovered in a century, nearly, and being forced to work day in and day out while being paid a PITTANCE for your services! You live in FUCKING! WOODEN! SHEDS! For the LOVE of OUM! YOU'RE ALL POOR!"

The man who earlier agreed to the sale nodded. The blonde looked nervously at those who didn't.

"All you have to do, to be happy now, is to help me help you! Sell this land and the Mine to Varsis Dust Solutions! Sell your homes, sell your livestock, sell your Dust! Let me give you my money, let me give you a new home! You'll be relocated to a pleasurable, relaxing place far away from the creatures of Grimm or the White Fang! All you have to do..."

He took a pen out of his hair, from behind his ear, and mimed signing something, before pointing it at the mayor.

"... is just agree to these terms... and I'll make you a very, very wealthy man, Mister Mayor." He then swept his hand over the crowd, who stared at him like he was possessed. "I'll make you all wealthy! EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU WILL BE FILTHY SHITTING RICH! JUST GIVE ME THE MINE!"

"No."

Guinness snapped, his coat whipping as he turned to face the assembled group on his right, where the denial had come from. "Who said 'no?'"

Someone immediately pointed at Jesse. The wispy man took a deep breath, and looked up at his adversary. "That'd be me, Mr. Guinness."

Guinness' mouth formed an 'o', as he stepped to the side, turning to look at Jesse. "Jesse?"

The man stood up, leaning slightly on the table, tawny beige eyes locking on Guinness' blue. He would not be cowed now.

"That would be me, sir."

Guinness' 'o' morphed into a wide, affable grin as he took a few steps towards him. "Jesse, Jesse, Jesse... What's got you so determined? You seemed so open to discussion before!"

"We came to an agreement. If you'd like the terms, ask the mayor."

Guinness looked over at the mayor. "Well?"

"Mr. Guinness... we've discussed your offer, and.. held a vote on the matter. With respect, the town has declined your offer," the Mayor explained, looking down at the podium.

"Oh, what a pity, what a pity..." Guinness muttered, his hands hanging limply at his sides. "Well, Magnis," he continued, looking over at the blonde. "I guess there's only one other option left, isn't there?"

The blonde sighed, resting his hand on the hilt of his blade. Guinness, with a long, drawn out sigh, pulled out one of his shotguns. "Remember, you could have prevented this!"

With that, he nonchalantly pointed the weapon at Jesse, and fired.

* * *

 _A day later, in Atlas_

 _Schnee Dust Company HQ_

 _"Mr Torchwick, please report to Madam Schnee's office immediately, Mr. Torchwick,"_ a bored voice chimed over the intercom, awaking Roman Torchwick from his slumber at the guest room. He had been called up by the woman late last night, and wired the lien needed to buy two tickets to Atlas. Ever since he 'went straight', he'd been doing semi-legal duties for various businesses, alongside his faithful assistant, Neo. Their most recent employer was none other than the recently crowned heiress Weiss Schnee, who had yet to fully utilize their services.

Roman yawned as he stood to full height, his cane in hand. Neo followed suit, the small mute staying close to her handler's side as he made his way to the elevators. Schnee never did have any sort of patience, in all 10 of the years he served as her employee. As they went up, the intercom came on yet again.

 _"Mr. Torchwick, please report to Madam Schnee's office immediately."_

"I'm on my way, you rube," the man muttered, tapping his cane on the elevator floor until the elevator stopped.

 **"50th Floor"** , the elevator droned, as the two former criminals stepped out and into the lobby. The secretary, a waspy woman in about her late fifties, looked up from her desk at them.

"You're late, Mr. Torchwick."

"Maybe if you remind me enough, I'll magically turn back time for you, darling. Now, am I allowed in?"

"Yes, sir." The woman pressed a button under her desk, and the doors to her left opened. "Go right in."

"Don't mind if I do," Roman replied. He and Neo walked past the desk, and through the double doors, into a small antechamber, with a pair of large steel bulkheads with the Schnee family sigil.

 _"Roman, you're an hour, thirteen minutes, thirty-six and three-quarters seconds late. Care to explain?"_

"Please excuse me, princess, I'm not getting any younger- ah, who am I kidding, I'm not really concerned at all. Can we skip the questioning and just get down to business, because I promised my belle I would buy her a new dress, and I need a nice sum of lien right about now."

 _"You and your hussy just shut up and get in here."_

The large bulkheads opened up, revealing an elaborately designed chamber, with a double staircase leading down to a work area, sectioned off from a private study behind it. A svelte, haughty woman no older than 30, maybe younger, walked down the right staircase, her heels clacking against the granite. Her hair was tied back in a prim bun, and a pair of thin-framed glasses rested on her nose. A rapier with revolving chambers in the hilt lay at rest on her left hip, and her ice-blue eyes immediately locked in on Roman.

"You certainly have aged quite a bit, Torchwick."

Roman chuckled, leaning slightly on his cage. "You aren't exactly a child yourself, ma'am."

"I'm not here for small talk. Didn't you want to get paid?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. This a simple job?"

"But of course. All you have to do is make a call."

Roman raised an eyebrow. Nothing was ever that easy with Schnee. "Care to elaborate?"

Weiss sighed. "A rival company entered my town without any sort of notice, and killed the mayor, the project manager, the manager's wife, and two other citizens. The leader of this massacre then sent me a recorded message."

With that, she hit a button on her desk in the middle of her work area, bringing up a holoscreen. "Play File- 'Demands'."

The screen lit up, revealing a man in the center of what looked to be a meeting area, twirling a weapon- some sort of shotgun, as he whistled, stepping in a wide circle around the room. Weiss paused the feed.

"This man is Madder Guinness, _pro-tempore_ Chief Executive Officer and Majority Shareholder of our main rival, the Varsis Dust Solutions company. He's known for performing plenty of hostile takeovers of rival companies- the Coal Dust Conglomerate, Mistralian Dust, and the firm of Wyndham, Maddox, and Priar, to name a few. He just did the same to our Dust mining town, Reveille."

She then points to the man standing by a podium, his weapon stained with the blood of, presumably, the old man slumped over it. "That man is Magni Carolus, a high-ranking security official in VDS. Mistralian by birth. He's been under Varsis' payroll since leaving Haven Academy, acting as Guinness' right hand man. Resume the footage."

The footage continued, with 'Guinness' stopping his pacing to look at the camera.

 _"Hellooooooooooo, Miss Schnee! How are you this lovely day? Rhetorical question, by the way, don't answer that. You know who I am, I know who you are, so let's skip the introductions for the day. You see, I tried to be nice, I really did! But your employees were just so... hostile! It was appalling!"_

A man in the crowd around them tried to leave the room, only for the door to be blocked by a big man in heavy armor, who smashed him onto the floor with his shield, before impaling the man.

"Yeesh..." Roman muttered. "Tough crowd, even for VDS..."

 _"Ikoto! What did I tell you about making a mess on the floor! Bad! Bad! Now, where was I... ah, yes, the town. Look, Schnee, you know me, I detest all forms of violence-"_

"Grimm shit..." she muttered.

 _"-and I really want this to stop now, before anyone else must get hurt. This is just business, after all. Now, this is all I demand. I want 1,000 lien per head for everyone in this town, plus the land. I will compensate you for it with... 5 lien per acre."_

"Five lien!?" Roman looked absolutely dumbfounded.

'That's highway robbery', Neo signed.

 _"However, knowing your stubborn, pompous self, having been handed everything you've ever gotten in life, expect me to hand you over a victory simply out of the goodness of my heart. Ah-ah-aaaah, not happening. Every day that goes by without word from you, I will murder someone in this town. It will be swift and painless, but a killing nonetheless... Starting right... now."_

 _He immediately swung his weapon and fired, blowing a nasty chunk out of the side of the head of a female councilwoman attempting to hide behind a chair, taking the majority of the chair's backboard with the bloody mess, as well._

 _"Twenty-four hours, Miss Schnee... TICK. TOCK." Guinness smiled, and waved at the camera pointed at him as he holstered his weapon._

 _-transmission terminated-_

Neo looked perturbed. She wasn't squeaky clean herself, but she never hurt a civilian if it could be helped. Roman had a similar mindset, but his expression was far less emotive.

"So... what do I do?"

"The Atlesian Regulatory Bureau is half in their pocket, half in ours, there'd be no progress in a legal battle... which is why I want plausible deniability. I have private contractors with no formal ties to the SDC, and I know one that is very, very efficient in their business. Roman, you will give this associate of mine a quick call, and wire them 10,000 lien for the recapture of the town, and 1,000,000 for Madder Guinness' head on a silver platter, should they accept such an assignment. You will be paid 50,000 lien once they contact me and accept the mission. Understood?"

"Loud and clear... but who's this associate of yours?"

Weiss Schnee smiled, and took out her Scroll, typing in a few characters, before tossing the device to Roman. He looked down at the image on screen. A woman, aged 32, with bright green eyes, blood-red hair, and, according to the information under her name, a record 14 time Mistral Combat Tournament winner, and a veteran Huntress of going on 16 years. A woman by the name of 'Pyrrha Nikos'.

"Dial it, Torchwick."

Roman complied, copying the number attached down to his own device, before tossing back Weiss'. He held the device up to his mouth as he started walking back to the bulkheads.

"Hello, is this a Miss Pyrrha Nikos? Ah, excellent. My name is Roman Torchwick, representing the Schnee Dust Company..."

 _To be continued..._

 **A** **huge shout out to the friend of mine who got me to get off my butt and write this idea that's pinballed around my head. This is an Magnificent Seven/ Corporate Warfare AU where RWBY and JNPR didn't go to Beacon together, and the characters are all in their late 20's to mid 30's. The only characters that know each other personally are Weiss and Pyrrha (the latter works as a contractor, currently employed by the former due to some sort of nebulous under the table agreement made while Pyrrha was a tournament fighter)** **.**

 **Anyway, Magni and his team are the personal henchmen of Guinness, and are basically on about the level of the V3 cast in terms of raw power. All four of them have been picked from the branches of Varsis in different kingdoms to act as the company's axe-men. And yes, a few canon characters make cameos, besides RWBYJNPR.**


	2. Deniable

Seven Deadly

Chapter 1

Deniable

Pyrrha Nikos was no _t_ a happy woman.

At best, she was approachable, but yet distant- someone who had been molded by fame into a shadow of their former self. A woman, once the darling of a kingdom, made tired, bitter, and jaded by the dual lives of a celebrity and of a huntress. At worst, she was a cynic, full of venom and hatred for a world that had dealt her so much pain in her 32 years on Remnant, taking away the friendships she was so desperate to forge. Right now, she was somewhere closer to the former.

And that didn't even begin to delve into the business she ended up in now. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the biggest Dust Company in all of the Four Kingdoms, had given her a proposition after Pyrrha made a terrible mistake. All she had to do was work for the SDC, and they could make all the pain, all the guilt, all of it, just _vanish_.

She knew better. And yet, she accepted. So now, she was no better than her fellows who merged into the corporate scheme before her. Guinness, Rouge, Scarlet, Pallas, Lancaster, Maddox, all of them had given in to the shining coin that promised them a life far away from the horrors of the Grimm. In the end, they simply traded targets- instead of hunting the monsters, they had become the monsters themselves.

She reminded herself every day that she was no better than any of them. All she was, and all she was considered to be, was an attack dog. Not a woman. A tool. A one-woman ethics code violation with a sword-rifle-javelin, shield, and a broken pedestal, sitting at a bar in Atlas, wondering if maybe, just maybe, if things could have been different. Like they were in her dreams. Now, she was going to have to do yet another one of these dirty jobs that no one with a shred of decency would commit to, all because of a simple accident. It wasn't her fault... or so she said.

Her Scroll rang. She sighed, frustrated, before taking out the damned device and looking down at the caller ID. 'SDC HRO'- the Schnee Dust Company Human Resources Office- her employer.

She stepped away from the bar, taking the cheap vodka with her as she answered the call. "Hello?"

 _"Hello, is this a Miss Pyrrha Nikos?"_

"That's my name."

 _"Ah, excellent. My name is Roman Torchwick, representing the Schnee Dust Company Human Resources Office, on behalf of Madame Weiss Schnee."_

"What do you want, Mister Torchwick?" She asked. She was not in the mood for small talk. She had a drink to finish.

 _"Would you be interested in a bit of work?"_

"What kind of work do you mean?"

 _"The kind that stays behind closed doors."_

Pyrrha knocked back a bit of her drink, before setting the glass down on a table in the back of the bar. Of course, far be it from anyone to seek an honest job in this world she lived in. "I need some details," she informed him.

 _"Does the name Madder Guinness ring any bells?"_

A lump formed in her throat. Hadn't she just heard something about her former partner? Something about him being involved with some big-name Dust corporation?

"I know the name," she admitted. "What about it?"

 _"He just so happens to have not-very-kindly bumped off a few SDC employees in a botched deal for our mine in Reveille. And he's about to start killing more."_

"What do you mean, he's going to start 'killing more'?"

 _"He's demanding we sell the land to him at a huge loss and pay for the release of the townspeople, on threat of executing one every twenty-four hours unless things start going his way. He's got a small company of corporate goons going about with him, including, but not limited to Magni Carolus, a high-ranking Atlesian_ _security official in the Varsis Dust Solutions company, a wanted Valean faunus refu_ _gee by the name of Judd 'The Hammer' Mabbacus, a Vacuoan folk hero by the name of Judie Violotto, and an old-school Mistralian tournament jockey by the name of Ikoto Cyantoras. The group has shown to be extremely efficient in dealing with hostile takeover situations, and are, along with Guinness, considered extremely dangerous."_

Pyrrha wanted to have a hard time believing that Guinness would do anything of that sort, or have a private goon squad willing to help him do said things, but, considering the world they lived in now, it was sadly believable. It had been a long time since PRGS. At the very least, it helped to squelch the doubts about the morality of the work she had taken up, if only for this one operation. "What do I need to do?"

 _"Madame Schnee wants you to get over there ASAP while she tries to stall Guinness long enough to keep him from relaying orders to his goons. They've all gone back to Varsis HQ in Mistral, for the moment, and Guinness is relaying orders from there to a man on the ground named Cardin Winchester. Weiss wants those goons gone, and if Guinness decides to get involved, it wouldn't hurt to have him take a dive, either."_

"Besides those, how many other boots do they have on the ground?"

 _"At least twenty."_

Pyrrha, to anyone watching, probably looked like she had swallowed a lemon. "I hope you're giving me backup..."

 _"I'm afraid, in the interest of deniability, we cannot. However, we will compensate you for any expenses you rack up during your operation, including the payment of any extra hands you pull on board."_

Considering Pyrrha's lack of options right now, she supposed that hiring someone would be a wise idea. "I'm going to need a lot of guns to take on twenty, plus Guinness' private team. Do you have anywhere I can start looking for hired help?"

Not that far off, a young woman at the bar perked up at the words, 'hired help', searching for their source. She locked onto Pyrrha, who was wrapping up her call with Torchwick, and a figurative light bulb went on over her head.

* * *

 _Somewhere in Mistral  
VDS HQ  
_

"That could have gone a LOT better, don't you think?" Guinness asked no one in particular as he paced around the floors of his polished, tile and marble office. "Those townies were so stubborn."

Ikoto said nothing, merely looking at the floor in front of him. He wasn't paid to talk.

"Anyone agree with me?" the CEO asked, confused as to why no one was answering him. "Anyone home in there?"

"I figured it was a rhetorical question," Judie replied, spinning in the rolling chair she had claimed as her own. Judd looked puzzled, motioning to her, which drew a roll of the eyes from the brunette. "It means you don't answer the question, big guy."

"Oh." With that, the man was once again silent. His tail flicked idly as he looked around the fancy office, attempting to comprehend just what all was going on in this room at once. "Where's Magni?"

"The restroom," Ikoto rasped, looking towards the office doors. The tournament fighter didn't enjoy his job, but the pay was more than sufficient. The company was tolerable. The only problem he had with it was the lack of cooperation between himself and his team. Especially their appointed leader, Magni Carolus. His religious bathroom habits never ceased to perturb Ikoto.

"I'll go talk to him," Judie offered.

"I don't care," Guinness admitted, looking out of the window and over the city that had slowly grown around VDS' corporate headquarters. Far be it from him to indulge himself in his employees' affairs. "Just make sure he ain't dead."

Meanwhile, in that bathroom, Magni Carolus washed his hands.

It had become a strange routine for the former Huntsman. No matter what he did, no matter where he went, the first thing he would do was wash his hands. Whether they were dirty or not, he was happy to stick his hands under the faucet, and let the cold stream flow between his fingers and over the ridges of his hands. He looked up into the mirror, trying to see if his face needed to be washed, as well. His hair, long and flaxen, fell limply to either side. No hair could be found elsewhere- he never did have the desire to try and manage a beard. The jade eyes staring back at him locked in on the dark-blue thorn encircling his right eye. The eyes looked dull, but at the same time, alert; distant, yet present and on edge. The tattoo framed his eye in a half-circle around it, and it moved ever so slightly with the twitch of his eyes.

"Checking yourself out?" Judie asked, snapping him from his focus.

Magni cleared his throat, turning around to face his partner. "Do you mind knocking before walking in on someone, Judith?"

"Judie," she corrected him, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Judith," he insisted.

She sighed, in that airy, frustrated way she always did, folding her arms. There was an odd scraping sound as metal folded over metal, which caused her to shudder slightly. "Jeez, that's no less annoying than it was the first time..."

Magni watched her intently, his eyes searching for any sort of reasoning for her visit. "What's wrong?"

"We need you in the office."

"Why?"

Judie gave him a look, tapping her right arm with her fingers. "Guinness wanted to go over the rules. For 'Money Shot'."

"'Money Shot' is the most inane, stupid, and obscene operation name I have ever heard," Magni noted, leaning back against the sink assembly. "Who else has to die?"

"No one, hopefully... Just come on. We're waiting for you."

Judie turned around, her gaze lingering on him over her shoulder, before she stepped out.

Magni slowly raised his hands up, looking at them. Filthy. Filthy. _Irredeemably filthy_. He turned about, and once again, he washed his hands. Scrubbed and scoured them with soap and embroidered VDS towels.

By the time he had come back, finished with his routine, the rest of the team was waiting for him. Ikoto gave him a glare, the intensity of it so strong that it could start a fire in the air, should it be made tangible. Magni met it with a cold, distant glance, before looking up at his employer. Guinness smiled at him, the same Varsis Dust Solutions trademark smile that graced every advertisement, every billboard... teeth too white to be natural. Probably implants, no way anyone's teeth could be that straight, either.

"Done pissing?"

"I had to wash my hands, sir."

Guinness chuckled. "So, that's what they call it now. You did good, by the way. Nice, clean shot from Durendal, right through the chest. Shame that it got blood all over it, though. Anyway, besides the point. You ALL did extremely well today, which is why I'm giving you a little bit of a break. You guys will chill here with me, until Schnee deigns to interact with us peons and begin negotiations. At that point, I'll be keeping you guys around me for security purposes. Magni, you'll also be in charge of relaying messages from me to my guy on the ground in Reveille, and vice-versa. You caught that?"

Magni nodded curtly.

"Awesome. Anyways, like I said, you guys need a break, but keep your Scrolls handy. I don't know when something is gonna come up, but I imagine Princess over in Atlas isn't the least bit happy with her new predicament. It's likely she's got men on the way. Luckily, we've got some of our best and brightest- save for you four, of course- down there, ready for anything. Hopefully, they'll see how stupid it is to try and fight us, and take to the table."

"And if they don't?" The blonde asked.

"Then they meet a horrible, painful demise, of course! What did you think?" Guinness rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You want to give them a cookie?"

"I'd like one," Judd admitted, looking sadly at the floor.

"Then get your babysitter to get you one," Guinness replied, cutting his gaze towards Ikoto, who sighed in frustration. "You're all dismissed for now, but keep your Scrolls on. I'll let you know when Schnee gets in contact. Get outta here."

The group all nodded, but none of them made their way to the exit quite yet. Judd still seemed upset, much to Ikoto's consternation, while Judie gave Magni a strange gaze that neither the latter, nor Guinness could decipher. She held his green orbs in her light blue for a brief moment, before abruptly looking away towards Judd. "You said you were hungry, big guy?"

"Mhm," the Faunus replied, one massive palm rubbing over his exposed stomach.

"Come on, we can go get you something. Ikoto can take a break."

"I do NOT. Need. Breaks." The Mistralian growled as he looked over at the team's token female. She glared back at him, chin raised in defiance, and, given a few minutes, the man gave in. Magni supposed that she was one of, if not the only person on Remnant able to cow the fighter with a glare. She immediately turned back to Magni, but not directly on him, instead looking more towards the floor.

"You want something, Magni?"

The blonde thought for a moment as Judie's gaze remained firmly on the floor. She seemed upset about something. As his team's du-jour leader, it was his responsibility to ensure everyone was at peak physical and mental condition. Therefore, he considered tagging along his best option.

"I might be a little hungry," he said. "I'll come with you."

She smiled, just a small one that barely showed white as she looked more towards him, yet still not making eye contact. "Okay, then... That settles it, I guess."

Ikoto watched his team leave, with a mixture of both confusion and disappointment. It was one thing to work well together with them, but he was not a socialite, nor did any of them need to be. Weren't they all just here for the job? To do the dirty work, take their ball, and go home?

"Ikoto, go with 'em." Guinness ordered suddenly, turning on his heel to look at the armored guard.

"Sir?"

"I said, go with 'em. You're a team. You stick with your team."

Ikoto nodded slowly, and walked out, leaving Guinness alone in the polished office. He pressed a small button on his desk, bringing up a screen, with two men appearing on the display. One of them was an older man with a thick overcoat and dark red shawl around his neck, while the other was identified by a dark, wide-brim hat.

"Where's Winchester?"

"Busy," the hat man replied, looking over at the smiling man in the coat. "We're in charge until he's done with his business."

Guinness didn't like the sound of that. "You... and Rossacorsa... in charge of a delicate operation?"

Rossacorsa Ganen's smile didn't even start to dissipate. "That'd be the case."

Guinness figured Winchester would get cold feet just from looking at him on day one. Whatever, he'd deal with that particular case when the time came. "Napier, whenever he's done with his 'business'... tell him to call."

"Will do, sir."

"That mean we're in charge?" Rossacorsa asked, raising an eyebrow, his downright childish grin still plastered to his face.

Guinness rolled his eyes, copping a grin of his own. "I suppose I'll give you a bone, Ross. Don't do anything until I tell you to do it. Got it? You still have another few hours before we have to up the ante. And, for the love of Oum, don't-"

"Thank you, boss, talk to you soon!"

With that, Rossacorsa disappeared from the display. The man in the hat, Napier , mumbled something under his breath about 'psychopaths'.

"Napier," Guinness said, leaning over the table slightly. "You keep him on a tight leash until it comes time. Then, let him have his fun."

The man on the screen nodded. "Anything else, sir?"

"That'll be it."

* * *

Ruby Rose, you see, was damned desperate right about now.

The chain of events leading up to this point were so outrageously contrived that, should she ever retire from her current lifestyle, she might write a book about it- under a pen name, of course. The great 'Silver-Eyed Maiden', thief extraordinaire, was currently looking for a temporary escape from her current lifestyle in a shady Atlas dive.

Well, in her defense- that weirdo asked for it.

You see, Ruby had been minding her own business, stealing a big-ass shipment of weapons-grade Dust from a company that she didn't even quite remember the name of right now, making a (dis)honest living for herself. Wow, Taiyang would be thrilled to see her then, wouldn't he? Anyway, the whole thing went off without a hitch- getaway vehicle secure, thanks to good ol' Cindy- when some random jackass came by and tried to feel her up in the middle of that dark alleyway! I mean, come on, she was carrying an Anti-Material Scyfle, for Monty's sake! Frankly, he was lucky he got away with only a fractured tibia.

Well, turns out he was the son of a high-ranking Atlesian politician. Who promptly had a Dead or Alive warrant put out on 'the Silver-Eyed Girl'. Yeaaaah... that was not a good day.

So, here she was, looking for enough money to pay off her pursuers- they had been whittled down to one Valean lawman, two bounty hunters, a robot, and one angry old man with a pitchfork named Geoff- and get the hell back in business, preferably with less groping. Unfortunately, this guy had feelers everywhere. An over-the-table, honest job would be her undoing. So, she knew she would have to find someone who wanted some dirty business done.

And now, she had one.

The woman couldn't have been that much older than her- built like a fighter, with hair almost the color of blood, eerily bright green eyes, and a series of barely-visible scars marring her alabaster skin from where someone must have beat the piss out of her, and judging from this woman's body language, said someone was most likely deceased. She was wearing light armor attached to some sort of corset, which hugged her figure _really nice_ -okay Ruby, not the time for homoeroticism, this is a potential client- and a bronze coronet.

Now, this was gonna go one of two ways- either Ruby was gonna get decked for getting in this honey's business, or she would get a job out of it. Was it worth the risk?

This is Ruby Rose we're talking about, she lives for risks.

The woman had just wrapped up her call with whoever 'Mister Torchwick' was, leaving Ruby with her opportunity to strike. She sprung, getting up from her seat a few tables away, grabbing her own drink, and strutting purposefully over to the redhead, cape trailing loosely behind her. She sat without a word across from the woman, waiting to see her reaction.

Those green eyes didn't even lift from her glass.

Ruby whistled, intending to get her attention.

"I see you," the woman said, taking another drink. "Is there something you need?"

"Actually, I was here to ask you the same question, miss!" Ruby said, propping an elbow on the table as she threw out the most disarming smile she could muster.

"I'm sorry?" the redhead asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think we've met."

That was a dismissal, and that shit was not going to fly today.

"No, we haven't, missy, but I really think I might be able to be of some help to you!"

The woman looked over Ruby with a calculating glance, as if she was some sort of piece of meat, rather than a young woman. Her eyes roamed up and down Ruby's face and figure, before coming to rest on her own glass. She picked it up, took a stiff sip, and put it down with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I don't sleep with strangers," she said, looking off to the side, cheeks dusted pink.

If Ruby had a drink, she'd have spit it all over this lady. Instead, she let out a raucous guffaw, doubling over the table. "HA! You thought -heheheh!- you think I- heheheheheeee!- you think I'm a prostitute!?"

The woman looked a little embarrassed. "I assumed something, based on our current environment, and your body language. I figured you were soliciting me."

"Well, given the word 'solicit'..." Ruby said, "... that's kinda what I'm doing, but... not that kind of soliciting. You interested?"

"I'm not sure. I'll need to hear it, first."

Got 'er. Now came the big moment. This would be what made or broke the entire plan she had set up in her head.

"I may have overheard you talking about needing hired help, for some sort of mission?" Ruby threw the most charming grin she could muster, hoping that this stranger would trust her implicitly from the word go, like most of the complete imbeciles she had taken up work with.

"I may have said that. Who are you?"

"Name's Red!" Ruby replied, pulling out her tried-and-true alias. "Beacon Academy grad, top honors! I'm currently semi-retired from the hunt, but I've been taking up a few... odd jobs."

Pyrrha knew that was bullshit from the word 'Red'. She had almost immediately recognized the woman as Ruby Rose, a wanted criminal well known around Atlas. She may or may not have considered pursuing the young lady to make a quick lien, but nothing came of it, due to the whole SDC business. If Ruby really thought she was up on her game, she was sorely mistaken. However, Pyrrha saw no reason to let on that she knew the game was up. Any ally, especially one with prior experience on the side of the law behind which she stood, was essential.

"How much are you charging?" Pyrrha asked.

"Five thousand lien now, five thousand after the job. If the job takes more than three days, I charge another two and a half thousand, then the same for every three days after that."

"You certainly aren't that cheap..." Pyrrha muttered. Well, looks like she was going to be putting that blank check to good use, after all. "What kind of work do you specialize in?"

"Ah, you know, killing bad guys, blowing crap up, the good stuff!" Ruby grinned audaciously at the athlete sitting across from her, leaning further over the table. "If your job involves one or all of the above, I'm your girl!"

"Could you please get back into your seat," Pyrrha asked suddenly, "you're in my space."

Ruby looked down, realizing she was actually on top of the table and her cape nearly in Pyrrha's drink. "Ahahaha... shit, sorry." The smaller woman scooted back off the table and into her chair, her face now the picture of cherubic innocence. "So... you interested in my services?"

Pyrrha now had her first moral dilemma of the operation. On the one hand, she had a wanted criminal who was eavesdropping on her and looking for a job, with a metric ton of lien involved in the transaction. On the other hand, this criminal might be extremely useful to her 'deniability'. Why would the Schnee Dust Company hire a criminal?

... well, come to think of it, she wouldn't call it wise business practice to hire Pyrrha Nikos, but whatever the case, this would be interesting. She smiled across the table at her new companion, putting her hand out.

"Alright, 'Red'. You've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Meanwhile, in SDC's HQ, Weiss Schnee sat at a conference table, a large display ominously standing over it. The table was filled out with various SDC personnel, all in various states of dress and mind. Her bodyguard stood by her side, eyeing the display worriedly with his glass-blue orbs. Weiss had never seen him acting so... out of balance.

"Snowe?"

The man's eyes focused in on her. "Pardon me, Madam. Just thinking." With that, he returned to the screen, not even giving her enough time to begin her customary rebuttal that, to him, she was simply 'Weiss'.

Palatine Snowe did not normally dismiss her like that, but she supposed that the situation was weighing heavily on them all. One of the executives had gone into a fit of hysterics upon hearing the news, while another simply fainted. Yet one more had gone into a rage, demanding that he be given one dust round, a pistol, and an airship to Mistral. Said man was also drunk, and was forcibly restrained by Palatine. This was likely the biggest crisis the Schnee Dust Company had faced since the Faunus riots- and this had much deeper ramifications, should this fall through. The former issue was simply resolved by Weiss, who, upon taking ownership of the company, began an affirmative action program for Faunus that gave them equal pay for equal work, as well as a quota-based hiring system that guaranteed an equal ratio of equally-qualified individuals. Although it cost her heavily in donors initially, soon, Faunus rights organizations were lauding her as 'The Good Schnee' and sending her their lien in waves. All in all, a good business decision.

This was not going to be solved that easily.

Should the Schnee Company fold, two things would come of it- the public would see that the VDS was an unscrupulous gang who were willing to backstab their way to the top of the mountain, if need be, and that the SDC was deathly afraid of them. Sponsors would be appalled by her lack of decisive response, especially in the tenuous Human Rights sector, and the HRO's PR would drop like a de-winged Nevermore.

"Madame?" one of the executives asked, checking his Scroll, "have we been able to establish contact with Varsis Dust Solutions?"

"My associate is currently working on it, Representative Vinn," Weiss replied curtly, checking her scroll for any word from Torchwick. Still nothing. She frantically typed a message to him under the table, demanding that the buffoon put his posterior in gear and get that connection up, and get some word from Nikos, or so help her Monty and his angels she would-

 _Nikos tells me that she's acquired the services of a mercenary and en route to Reveille on foot. ETA two days._

Weiss grimaced as she typed a response.

 _Roman we do not have two days. Tell her to take a damn bus._

 _The mercenary is a wanted criminal. Public transportation or acquisition of private transport may result in compromise and the arrest of both Nikos and the mercenary._

 _Who in the blue hell is this mercenary, Torchwick!?_

 _...a certain 'Ruby Rose'. She is highly qualified._

If Roman was anywhere within her reach, she'd have taken Myrtenaster and slashed his damn throat. He actually did not OBJECT TO THIS!? Of course, he was a criminal himself, why wouldn't he be happy with this turn of events! Ruby Rose probably owed him a favor!

"Madame, is something the matter?" Palatine leaned down, looking over her shoulder.

"Nothing... is the matter..." she growled under her breath, about to crush her Scroll in her fingers. Roman sent another brief message, indicating that he had made contact with Guinness, and then signed off. "We're about to be live. Is the panoramic view set up?"

"It is on our end, and he has one in his office, according to my investigation," Palatine informed her.

"Good work."

"It is the only kind of work I do, Madame."

Weiss looked up at him, her face softening from its near permanent scowl, if only for a second. "Palatine. You will refer to me as 'Weiss'. Understood?"

Although he didn't smile- he had to keep pretenses, after all- she could tell he wanted to. "Of course, Weiss."

The device turned on, revealing Guinness sitting, with his feet propped on his desk. He was either totally unaware the device was on, or he just didn't care. He looked over to Weiss specifically, cracking a toothy grin.

 _"Ice Queen! How are you this lovely... uh..."_

"It is Tuesday, Mister Guinness," Palatine said, voice flat.

 _"Tuesday! Thanks, guy."_

"I would be better if you had not caused an inter-Kingdom incident, Madder. What has possessed you to think this was a good idea?" Weiss asked, folding her hands over one another, awaiting his explanation.

 _"Ah, sorry! I kept sending you representatives to ask nicely, and they kept saying no! What was I supposed to do, give up!?"_ the other executive asked, rolling his eyes and scoffing. _"They were such assholes about it, too!"_

"Did you ever so much as send ME any sort of notice or representative to inquire about the mine?" Weiss asked.

"I don't believe he did, Madame," Palatine said, his mask of formality still unbroken.

 _"And you know what you'd have done, Weiss? The SAME. DAMN. THING. That you have done every time I have asked you for a deal, or a negotiation, or a sale. You would laugh, you would dismiss me as 'a rogue among nobles', and send me out on my ass. Isn't that right? Oh, by the way, tall boy, don't interrupt me again, or something bad might happen."_

Weiss watched Palatine carefully, and noted that his thumb twitched slightly. That was the closest he would get to admitting he was miffed. She looked back up at the display. "My subordinates are _required to send any business deals up to me for approval. Even if they had sold it to you, the sale would have been moot- it was not signed off by me, therefore, the deal is void."_

 _"Well, damn! And here I thought I went about it the right way. Ah, well. So... let's talk business. The terms of my deal were laid out in my little message. Do you accept?"_

 _"I would like to negotiate_ the terms of the agreement."

 _"Then let's get to it."_

"I will not pay a ransom for the civilians. You will provide them transport to Atlas immediately, at no cost to them, and have them brought to SDC Corporate Headquarters. Then, we will discuss the terms of a sale."

 _"AH! Wrong answer, try again!"_

"Excuse me?"

 _"We are not eliminating anything from the deal. We are adjusting the goalposts. That is the extent of this negotiation. If you wish to test me, my men are very excited to get down to business."_

"What exactly are you trying to imply, Guinness?"

 _"I'm implying that you're starting to piss me off, and I'm implying that someone might get hurt if you do not desist. Tick, tock, Ice Queen."_

" 'Tick tock?'" one of the executives present repeated, confused.

"Guinness, I will give you one chance, and one chance only, to walk away from this. Turn over the prisoners, and I'll sell you the land at a discounted price. I will not make this offer again. For your sake, please, consider this proposition." Weiss gave her most sincere frown to her fellow businessman, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he would take it and run. After all, wasn't he a businessman?

He picked up his Scroll, and dialed someone, before putting the device up to his ear. _"Napier? That you?"_

Whatever the answer was, it pleased Guinness immensely. _"The negotiation? Ah, it's kind of sucky. Yeah, no deal. Hey, uh, can you do me a favor? Patch yourself into my feed."_

The display split in two, revealing a man clad in light green fatigues, and a wide brim black hat, looking over a group of people- all three blindfolded. _"Evenin'."_

 _"This is Napier Creed, one of my ground boys. Beacon Academy Graduate, Team ECRU. Great guy, wife and kids at home-"_

 _"What exactly did you require of me, sir?"_ Napier asked, ready to get on with it.

Guinness looked straight at an Exec he saw being a bit skittish, and gave a wicked grin. _"Be a pal and blow someone's head off."_

Before anyone could respond, protest, or even utter a sound, Napier pointed his gun at a man in the middle of the lineup. _"I pray your forgiveness."_

A single shot from the Dust pistol, and said hostage was no more. Said squeamish executive fainted once again, with another angrily getting up out of his chair and opening his mouth to shout something.

 _"Alright, fatass, you sit down or I WILL tell him to kill another one,"_ Guinness interrupted said (admittedly quite portly) executive, who proceeded unperturbed.

"You are a monster! Once we get our hands on-"

 _"Napier! Do it!"_

 _"I pray your forgiveness."_

Another bang, another body. Said executive blanched, and sat back down in his seat. Napier sighed, sounding tired, while Guinness chuckled.

 _"Not so big and scary now, huh?"_ he asked, quietly, as if everything that just happened was a minor setback. _"Hey, Ice Queen... you enjoy the show?"_

Palatine looked at her, seeing how she would react.

"... We will revise the terms of our offer, and speak with you tomorrow." Her voice was deathly quiet, to the point where it was likely only Palatine, Guinness, and Napier even heard her.

 _"Good, good. Glad you're seeing things my way. But... don't take too long... Tick. Tock."_

The display suddenly shut down, leaving the room quiet. The silence hung over them like a thick cloud, and no one dared to dissipate it. The portly executive looked at Vinn, who looked at the just-waking fainter, who looked at a female executive, who looked at Palatine, who looked at Weiss. And still, not a single word.

Finally, Weiss stood up, and walked out of the room, Palatine following her immediately. The CEO stormed through the halls, her bodyguard and assistant following hot on her heels as she bypassed the elevator and went straight for the stairs. They both ascended to the office floor, until they had reached the executive waiting area, and pushed through to her office, not even bothering to speak to the secretary. She immediately walked through her office, and stepped into the study, and slammed the sliding doors behind her, leaving Palatine alone with his thoughts... and his Scroll. He sighed, looking down at the device, before walking up to the door.

"Weiss?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Only when Madder Guinness' head is on my desk."

Palatine looked at his Scroll again. "Would you like me to assume mission control duties?"

No answer. He would take that as a yes.

 **A/N: It's ya boi, tha Factor. Thank you for tagging along with this second chapter of 'Seven Deadly'.** **  
**

 **I really figured the criminal Ruby setup would really suit this story- due to it being an AU, it gives you a lot more freedom to play 'what-if' with the characters while keeping a good few of their basic character traits (Ruby's excitability and energy, Pyrrha's mild guilt complex, Jaune's stubborn self-reliance, etc.). If you don't like it... well, sorry.**

 **The three mooks I introduced (two for VDS, one for SDC) are all color themed. Napier Green, Rossa Corsa/ Dark Scarlet, and Palatinate Blue/Purple.**


End file.
